PESHAWAR: Seven militants and four policemen, including a senior officer, were killed in two separate security engagements in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police officials said on Wednesday.

The incidents occurred in the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan districts bordering Afghanistan, areas that have seen a resurgence of militant attacks in recent years, particularly by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which frequently targets police posts and security forces.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups, including the TTP to operate from Afghan territory and stage cross-border attacks, an allegation Kabul denies. The dispute has strained ties between the two neighbors and fueled security tensions along the frontier.

In the first incident, three militants were killed after police repelled an overnight assault on the Khunia Khel police post in Bannu district, which borders Afghanistan.

Aamir Khan, spokesperson for the Regional Police Officer in Bannu, said heavily armed militants launched a pre-dawn attack in what appeared to be an attempt to overrun the facility. Police personnel stationed at the post returned fire.

“The officers displayed exceptional valor and professionalism, putting up fierce resistance against the terrorists and compelling them to withdraw,” Khan told Arab News by phone.

He said three militants were killed and nine others wounded in the clash, while one police officer sustained minor injuries. One of the slain attackers was identified as commander Umar Azam, also known as Khazmati, while another was named as Shahidullah. The identity of the third militant was being confirmed, he added.

Hours later, militants launched what police described as coordinated retaliatory attacks on the Ahmadzai Police Station and the Fateh Khel police post. Security personnel repelled both assaults without further casualties, according to Khan.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN 

In a separate operation in the Panyala area of Dera Ismail Khan district, four militants and four police officers were killed during a security operation and subsequent ambush, district police spokesperson Yaqoob Khan said.

The operation was launched after intelligence reports about militant presence in the area. It was led by senior officers, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) for the Counter-Terrorism Department, the SP of Paharpur, Deputy Superintendents of Police from Paharpur and Panyala, and several Station House Officers.

Police surrounded suspected militants during the operation. As officers were returning, they were ambushed from nearby forested terrain, triggering an exchange of gunfire.

“Four police officers were martyred and four terrorists were killed in the ensuing firefight,” Khan said.

Among those killed was Station House Officer Faheem Mumtaz Khan. SP Paharpur Iqbal Baloch, DSP Paharpur Muhammad Adnan and two other officers were injured and shifted to hospital for treatment.

Authorities cordoned off the area and launched a search operation in nearby forests.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the attack in Dera Ismail Khan and expressed “deep sorrow and grief” over the deaths of the police personnel.

“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot undermine the morale of the police, nor will attempts to sabotage peace in the province succeed,” he added, calling for a coordinated national strategy to eliminate militancy.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks.